Links with the Norse god Thor and the Germanic paganism of the early Anglo-Saxons in general have been suggested, but evidence is lacking.

Other hypotheses have included lost ancient dialectal terms, and obscure English saints.

[3] The cave was used to represent the entrance to the Dark Wizard's lair in the 1980 film Hawk the Slayer, directed by Terry Marcel,[citation needed] and was a location in The Lair of the White Worm (1988), directed by Ken Russell and starring Hugh Grant.

[4] It was used in the filming of The Verve's 1993 video for their single "Blue",[citation needed] and is also pictured on the front cover of the band's first album, A Storm in Heaven.

[5] The cave also acts as the backdrop for Winterfylleth's band photo for their 2020 album The Reckoning Dawn.